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Danny Dyer
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Jamie Lang
Hello everyone, I'm Jamie Lang and this is Great moments. Hey guys, welcome back to another great moment. Sassy, thank you so much for coming back. If you're new, these are our little snippets from our shows in the past, from our catalog. And today I'm sharing a moment from my conversation with the amazing Danny Dyer. Now, Danny is honestly an absolute ray of sunshine and I loved speaking to her. In this great moment, she shares how becoming a mum changed her life and gave her the push to leave a relationship that wasn't right. It's amazing. She also talks about the real emotions that come with being a new mum. The tough, the good and everything in between, and why it's so important for women to support each other through it. Now, if you enjoy this, you'll love Danny's full episode in Great Company. You'll find it in the show notes. Just go and click on it. It'll take you to the whole episode. And there are so many more shows that you May not have seen, so go and check them out. Also, while I got you here, I just want to mention one thing. Mine is Sophie's podcast. Newly Parents is back.
Verizon Ad Announcer
It's.
Jamie Lang
It went from newlyweds to newlyweds to nearly parents, and now it's Newly Parents. And it's full of all the hilarious things that you've probably seen on the Internet. And our show, if you listened to it before, we're gonna leave a link to it in our show description so you can click on that as well. Okay, Here we go. Enjoy this amazing episode with Danny Dyer on Great Moments. You're a wag, though, now.
Sophie
I hate that word.
Jamie Lang
Okay, well, I don't understand why.
Danny Dyer
Cause it's just wives and girlfriends. I just think it's the way it's said. Like, she's a wag.
Jamie Lang
Okay, well, you. Jared plays football for West Ham.
Danny Dyer
Yeah.
Jamie Lang
What are some of the chants that the fans.
Danny Dyer
Oh, what? Whoever made that chance chant. I need. They need to DM me and let me know who it is, because I want to know.
Jamie Lang
What is the chant?
Sophie
Birmingham Fire.
Danny Dyer
And he's shagging Danny Dyer. Do you know? My little boy says, kissing Danny. He sings it in the back of my car sometimes. Santi Bowen's on fire, and he's kissing Danny Dyer.
Sophie
I was like, that's your mother you're speaking about.
Danny Dyer
I can't even ground him. He's just.
Jamie Lang
And he's shagging Daddy Dyer.
Danny Dyer
My dad sings it. He thinks it's brilliant. Thinks it's brilliant.
Sophie
He says. He starts to chant off sometimes. I'm like, yeah, all right, mate.
Jamie Lang
So you break up with Jack.
Danny Dyer
Yes.
Jamie Lang
And then you have your son.
Danny Dyer
Yes.
Jamie Lang
Santiago.
Sophie
Little Santa. Oh, he's lovely. He's so naughty, though. He's really got me.
Jamie Lang
How old. How old is he?
Sophie
He's five in January.
Jamie Lang
Really?
Sophie
And he loves to cuddle me, but he also loves to wind me up. Oh, yeah. Very cheeky.
Jamie Lang
And this was with your partner who was before Love island, the one that was just hell.
Sophie
So, realistically, when I.
Danny Dyer
It's really. I always speak openly before Love Island. He never really wanted to settle down with me. He was a massive player. Just massive. And then when I come off Love island, and obviously me and Jack split up, we sort of reunited again. And realistically, that should have not been, like, I shouldn't have gone back there. You know what I mean?
Jamie Lang
Why did you go back? Because people talking again. The advice is that I want to give the advice. So Lucy or another Danny or Tom are sitting there thinking, okay, I'm in the same situation. There's someone who I let go, but now they're knocking on the door, should I go back to them? Shouldn't I go back to them? I'm confused. What do I do?
Danny Dyer
I mean, I think it depends what situation you're in, because some people go back to their exes and it is the most successful relationship. Do you know what I mean? Like, and it really works for them. But I think, like my friend said, I think I went back there because he was someone that I knew and someone that you wanted.
Jamie Lang
Familiarity.
Danny Dyer
Yeah, that familiarity of like. And I mean, you just. I was again, at 21 and I was a bit like, oh, that didn't work out with Jack. So kind of know him. Like, it's not. We'll probably just have a bit of fun or. Do you know what I mean? It's not going to be anything. And obviously I don't regret anything. I don't. I always say now, like, I never regret anything because I think every decision you make, good or bad, leads you to the path you're meant to go on. And having Santi changed me as a person massively. So I'm so glad I had my Sant. So I think I had to go through a kind of tricky relationship to get my little boy to change me, to move forward. Wow. That's how I look at that relationship now, because it got. It changed me. It really did.
Jamie Lang
How did it change you?
Danny Dyer
Because I think I was always looking for the fire. I never really looked at my future. I was always very present. And I would do things that my friends was always like. You never really think about.
Sophie
Like, my best friend Kayleigh, she's like. I think I drove her mad because she was always so sensible that I
Danny Dyer
was the naughty little mate.
Sophie
Do you know what I mean?
Danny Dyer
She's the sensible one, always in relationships.
Sophie
And I'd ring her up and go, okay, look what I've done now.
Danny Dyer
And do you know what I mean? She needed a bit of that, though. So I think when I got went back to that relationship, I think I was just still going through that kind of. And I mean, I was, who am I?
Jamie Lang
What am I?
Danny Dyer
What am I doing? And I didn't really think. But, yeah, I think it changed me because I kind of really. Once I had Santi, I was like, right, I'm an adult now and I've
Sophie
got to look after a child.
Danny Dyer
So all these stupid little things that I'm doing and being like, just not. I can't explain what I Mean, But I just think I never really thought about anything. So when I had my little boy, I was like, every decision I make is for my little boy now, and I want to give him the best future ever.
Sophie
Wow.
Danny Dyer
I can't be giving him a toxic environment.
Jamie Lang
Were you? Maybe. Did you plan Santi?
Danny Dyer
No. No, I don't. Because just before. Just before Santi, I got pregnant and then that didn't work out. And then I got pregnant. Literally, I think. So the first.
Sophie
Right.
Danny Dyer
So before I got pregnant with Santi, I got pregnant and then that didn't work out. But then I wanted a baby then, because that didn't work out. Wow. Because I was like, well, I want a baby.
Sophie
So this month, I'm going to be not careful.
Danny Dyer
Do you know what I mean? Because I. Because it didn't work out. Because I think that happens with people. They either really want to have a baby or then they don't want to have a baby for a little while. And I think for me, I was like, no, I'm having a baby. And my mum and dad were fuming at the time, so I think we kind of.
Jamie Lang
What did they say? How did. So you. Yeah, you fall pregnant.
Danny Dyer
Yeah, you.
Jamie Lang
I reckon you tell your mum first.
Danny Dyer
You always tell your mum.
Sophie
You always tell your mum. I think.
Danny Dyer
I think I always.
Sophie
As soon as I get the line on my pregnancy test, they're like, you ring your mum or your best friend. Do you know what I mean? Like, straight away, like, the wee still in the toilet, you're like, mom, Sophie.
Jamie Lang
When Sophie honestly showed it to me, and I was like, oh, my God. And then on the phone, and I was like, yeah. Whoa. Is this like. I thought we were meant to, like,
Sophie
that was the best feeling ever.
Jamie Lang
It's an amazing feeling. But. So you then phone your mum, nervous to tell your mum?
Danny Dyer
Yeah, I was nervous to tell my mum. And to be honest, they were. So. They was happy for me with the baby. Like, they were so happy that I was. They knew kind of what I went through. Do you know what I mean? So there was, like, when obviously I got pregnant with Santi, they was, like, happy for me for that, but they was. Obviously, they knew that relationship that I was in was never gonna work. So I think for them, they was, like, knowing that, right, she's gonna have this baby, but she's probably not gonna be with this person. And they obviously didn't want that for me. And I get it now, because now I'm a parent, I totally get it. And I've said sorry to him so
Sophie
many times, I'm like, I'm so sorry what I put you through.
Danny Dyer
Yeah. You know, like, you know when you're a teenager and you're really mean to them?
Sophie
And I look back and I'm like,
Danny Dyer
God, I've got so much karma coming.
Sophie
But, yeah, I just feel like I
Danny Dyer
get what they were saying now, because I was like, you're not gonna. You're probably not gonna be with him. Why are you having a baby? So stupid.
Jamie Lang
Do you know what a baby does? It looks good.
Danny Dyer
Yeah. Like, what are you doing? And I was like, I'm fine. I can do what I want, and all that sort of stuff. So I think we had a little bit of that. But obviously, as we progressed, I was. They were so happy because that was their little grandson or granddaughter. You know what I mean? So they ended up putting their emotions at bay and then just sort of getting me through my pregnancy.
Jamie Lang
The pregnancy before, was it a miscarriage?
Danny Dyer
Yeah, it was a miscarriage, but it was. It was. It was a very early miscarriage. But I think it just. When I got pregnant again, I mean, I don't know how many scans I had. I was up there all the time. I was literally knocking at the door
Sophie
like, can you check again? Can you check again? They're like, daddy, come on. I'd have a portfolio of Santi. Honestly, you weren't even born, and he's got a whole. Literally, I just thought, I need to see him one more time.
Jamie Lang
No one talks about that. No one talks about the anxiety that you feel, because all you want to have is a healthy, happy baby. Everything else is a bonus.
Danny Dyer
Absolutely.
Jamie Lang
And it's so scary.
Danny Dyer
Pregnancy is so scary. So scary. Because it is like you're looking. You're growing a baby. Like, it's a miracle in a sense, isn't it? Like, looking after them and making sure you're doing the right things. And don't eat this, don't eat that. It was scary for me.
Jamie Lang
What's your relationship like with Santi's dad now?
Danny Dyer
With. I would say we're very civil. And I will always be really civil to him because obviously that's Santi's dad. Do you know what I mean? Like, there's got to be times, you know, with Santi in school plays and his birthdays, and I would never want Santi to feel uncomfortable, like, Santi's never gonna know his mum and dad being together, which I kind of. I actually prefer that more because he's never gonna know what he's missing. In that sense. Because you always feel guilty. I always, always. I always feel so. Because, you know, like, when Jared walks through the door and the twins are like, daddy, Daddy. I fear that Santi is. He. Does he feel. I know he doesn't because he's 4, but, like, does he feel that that's not his daddy? I always have them feelings. But it's good because one of my twins, Santi, calls Jared jj.
Sophie
And Summer keeps calling Jared jj. He was calling him jj. I'm like, that's Daddy.
Danny Dyer
So, yeah, I do. I always feel guilty for Santi and I probably do overcompensate with Santi a little bit. Like, I molly coddle him a lot because I'm like, it's me and Santi against the world. Because I think there was a time where it was me and him against the world and we was on our own together. So I just, you know, if Sandy
Sophie
goes, I'm going to.
Jamie Lang
But Danny, the. You know, it's. It's also. It's a little bit like your own relationship with your mum. Yeah, in a little bit. And, you know, especially if you're, you know, your dad maybe was coming on the Friday, but it was like you and your mum, young. It's like, we're against the world here and that's an amazing thing. But your. Your ex partner went to prison, right?
Danny Dyer
He did. And that was a really hard time, I think, for me as well. Like, we sort of got together and it was like.
Jamie Lang
It's a lot.
Danny Dyer
It was a lot. Do you know what I mean? And do you know what it is as well? I think for me, I never really thought about what he was doing or. I don't know. I don't know. Was I a little bit naive? I don't know. I just wasn't really ever paying attention when I should have.
Jamie Lang
No, you shouldn't, by the way. Take no accountability.
Danny Dyer
It was a hard time because I
Jamie Lang
think for me, you're young and you're.
Danny Dyer
You don't think. Do you know what I mean?
Jamie Lang
Also, look, you're pregnant looking up.
Danny Dyer
And I think for me as well, then obviously going through the pregnancy and then it was all leaked to the press and then people really were hating on me. Like, they were the stuff I was getting and I never really. Then when he went to prison, obviously everyone sort of blamed me and I was a bit like, I felt like I'd done the crime. Like, I genuinely felt like I had done it and committed it. Cause people, you know, the press were accusing me and there Was a lot. A lot going on. And I remember sitting there, and I was like, I don't know how to comment on this. I don't know what to say, because anything I say is going to be manipulated or twisted, and I just love the wrong person. Do you know what I mean? And. And I didn't want to ever say anything that was gonna. Santi was gonna see when he was older or I didn't want to go on YouTube and start crying. It's just not my. I just didn't know what to do. So I just stayed silent. And I stayed silent about it for years. I didn't speak about it for a very long time. Like, I think only the past year now that I can actually see speak.
Jamie Lang
Almost like PTSD thing.
Danny Dyer
Yeah. Because I just didn't want to speak about it.
Jamie Lang
So worried what people are going to say. You don't want to bring up all those comments again and everything.
Danny Dyer
And I totally get it. Like, I totally get it. And I. Now and again, now I get the odd comment. But, I mean.
Jamie Lang
But you know what? It's not your decision.
Danny Dyer
Yeah, it wasn't my.
Jamie Lang
But you do know that.
Danny Dyer
Yeah, no, I know. Yeah. But I think it's. When you get with someone, people just automatically think that you're, like, condoning that you're accepting it, and, you know, you're with it. And I think for me, it was like, I just really loved the wrong person and just didn't really think about what he was doing. Do you know what I mean? Because I loved him. And I was like, you know, when
Sophie
the person is so wrong for you, but you're like, no, but I want
Danny Dyer
to be with him.
Sophie
I want to prove everyone wrong.
Jamie Lang
And you see the best. My friends wrong and my family wrong, 100%. And when you're in that. In love, you're blinded by everything.
Danny Dyer
And I was. I totally agree that Love is blind, 100%. I think him going to prison was, like, the worst time of my life, but the best time of my life. And the fact that I was like, this is my time now. I had my little boy. And I was like this because he
Jamie Lang
went away for scamming people, right?
Danny Dyer
Yes.
Jamie Lang
And did you ever visit him in prison?
Danny Dyer
No.
Progressive Insurance / Podcast Ad Host
You didn't?
Danny Dyer
No. I never, ever wanted to. I think for me, because we was never right for one another. And as soon as I had Santi, I knew what love was. I had my little boy, and I was like, I love this little boy so much. And I. It's really weird. It was like, A switch for me.
Jamie Lang
Really?
Danny Dyer
Yeah, it was like a switch. And I was like, he's my baby. And no. So I never. I never went and visited him at all.
Jamie Lang
The strength of a mother. You become a lioness.
Danny Dyer
Yeah, you are.
Sophie
I've been looking after your little cubs,
Jamie Lang
you know what I mean?
Danny Dyer
And that's how I was.
Jamie Lang
Do you know what's been really brave about you as well, Danny, is that you've spoken about the loneliness, the anxiety, the emotions that you feel during pregnancy and after pregnancy.
Danny Dyer
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jamie Lang
And you did a documentary about it.
Danny Dyer
Yes, I did.
Jamie Lang
What. What emotions did you feel?
Danny Dyer
I think it's not really spoken. I mean, I think. I think it's got a lot better now. I think women are speaking about anxiety and loneliness, you know, I think women are now, because I don't think women support women. I think a lot of women like to attack women. If a woman is moaning or they're a little bit down or they're a little bit lost, you know, and they. And they speak about it, they always get someone coming, stop moaning, stop complaining. You're lucky to have a baby. You do still get quite a lot of that. And I feel like women understand, should understand women. We all have to have a period every month. We have moments when we feel a bit bloated. And the first time you're bloated, you notice a woman go, you look fat. There's still that whole concept of, like, women just don't like to support other women. And I think, for me, when I did this documentary, I just really wanted, like, women to just sort of come together and sort of see their stories and be like, you know, not every pregnancy, you know, is successful. And you have this baby and when you have a baby, you all of a sudden you're like, oh, my God, I have a baby.
Sophie
What do I do? Like, you get sent home with this baby and you've got to look after the baby. And I'm like, my mum come and lived with me for a little while and she left and I was like, you've got to come back, Mum. You've got to come back.
Jamie Lang
You're a single parent.
Danny Dyer
Yes.
Jamie Lang
And you're 22.
Danny Dyer
22. So that was hard. And my mum used to, like, come over and fill up my fridge and all that sort of stuff.
Jamie Lang
Because the dog you did is called Danida. Is this anxiety because there's a difference between anxiety and loneliness? Yes, anxiety for me. And I don't know the same thing. It's like this heightened, like, adrenaline feeling where it's just so uncomfortable. But, but loneliness is one that no one really talks about because you're so isolated as a parent.
Danny Dyer
So isolated because you're sort of like living on a. It's really hard to like get out of the door and like you're sort of living on a clock, you know, feed times, changing times and you know you do have that and you haven't got that thing of like just being able to get up and go and your freedom goes, you know, like if you think I'm just going to get up and walk up to the shop or and like that postpartum thing of like you don't feel great in yourself because obviously like women will get it differently. Like some of my friends didn't get it. Some I did like the baby blues, like you have really, you have them weeks where you just cry over nothing. Like literally your toast or burning or sobbing over the toast. Baby blues can last a few weeks. Like it does. It's not like a day thing, it can last a few weeks, a month, six weeks. But I think with post out depression it just carries on, carries on and then you just feel really, really low and like you can't get out of that.
Jamie Lang
And having to look after your kids
Danny Dyer
and having to look after a baby when you don't want to look after yourself, then you feel really like we have mum guilt. Honestly, mum guilt was the worst thing ever.
Jamie Lang
Explain that to me.
Danny Dyer
You just feel guilty over everything.
Sophie
Like it's like you go on a night out and you feel bad for leaving your child, but then you're at home and you want a night out and you feel bad that you want a night out because you should want to just be with your child. You go to work, you feel bad, you're at home, but I want to work. It's like.
Jamie Lang
And then, and then what happens with your partner is that you're annoyed at your partner for not feeling guilty because you're like, I'm feeling guilty. Why are you not feeling guilty about this as well?
Danny Dyer
Especially because like when we had the twins, me and Jared, he was like, had to go back to football, like pretty much straight away. He was in Australia, then he was in Prague and it was really annoying
Sophie
because obviously I couldn't go. I wanted to go and like support him and I couldn't go. But I was annoyed at myself. I was like, my twins are like two weeks old, I can't physically go.
Danny Dyer
So yeah, you do have that. A little bit of their life carries on and then you're like at home and you feel a bit like you're a bit wobbly, your boobs are leaking. You know, it's all a little bit unattractive for a while.
Jamie Lang
You're farting all over.
Danny Dyer
You're farting everywhere.
Sophie
Constipated, probably. But yeah, it's.
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Could AI help you do more of what you love? Workday is the AI platform for HR and finance that actually knows your business. We help you handle the have to dos so you can focus on the can't wait to dos. It's a new workday.
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Release Date: May 3, 2026
In this special "Great Moments" episode, Jamie Laing revisits a moving and candid conversation with TV personality Dani Dyer, focusing on how motherhood transformed her life. Dani opens up about leaving a difficult relationship, navigating single parenthood, coping with miscarriage, and battling postpartum loneliness and anxiety. She offers inspiration and solidarity to other women, with honest reflections on personal growth and the complexities of being a mum — all while keeping the conversation upbeat, accessible, and deeply relatable.
On motherhood changing everything:
“Every decision I make is for my little boy now, and I want to give him the best future ever.” – Dani Dyer [06:17]
On going back to an ex:
“I think I went back there because he was someone I knew...But I don’t regret anything because it got me my little boy.” – Dani Dyer [04:36–05:14]
On miscarriage and coping:
“When I got pregnant again, I don’t know how many scans I had...I just thought I need to see him one more time.” – Dani Dyer [09:10]
On facing public criticism:
“I genuinely felt like I had done it and committed it...I just really loved the wrong person.” – Dani Dyer [12:05–13:12]
On not visiting her ex in prison:
“As soon as I had Santi, I knew what love was...It was like a switch for me.” – Dani Dyer [14:19]
On motherhood anxiety and community:
“I just really wanted women to just sort of come together and sort of see their stories...Not every pregnancy is successful, and when you have a baby, you’re like, oh my God, what do I do?” – Dani Dyer [14:52–15:19]
The conversation is warm, informal, supportive, and honest, blending humor with heart. Dani is frank about mistakes and challenges but resolutely positive about the lessons motherhood brought her.
This episode is essential listening for anyone navigating motherhood, tough relationships, or public scrutiny — and for all who appreciate heartfelt conversations about resilience and growth.